Is a floppy brush good for face lathering?

Quote: I have a question about floppy brushes. I just got a Semogue Owners Club boar brush. It's a well know fact that once this brush is fully broken in it becomes very floppy. Is a floppy brush good for face lathering? I only face lather using shave sticks. Will my SOC boar be okay for this?

Quote:Ron

I personally think that "floppy" brushes get a bad rap. People treat the "F" word like leprosy or something. I think sometimes, floppy brushes can be absolutely fantastic. I suspect the primary reason people equate it with not being a good brush is that often times, brushes are "floppy" because they are also very sparse. I've used brushes that weren't packed with enough hair, and while they lack backbone, they also lack enough hair to get the job done. However, I have used some Kent brushes that, by my definition, are floppy. But they are stuffed with plentiful amounts of badger hair, so despite having weak backbone, they are utterly luxurious, and will make as thick and creamy lather as any brush out there, even if you're face lathering with shaving sticks.

I've used an SOC before, and I can't possibly imagine that it would become "floppy" to a point where performance was hindered. True, it might not feel as stiff as some other boar brushes, but I believe it's still going to have a relatively stiff backbone.

This is one picture of a SOC broken in. I think I saw one that was more droopy than this one. Will it be good for use with a shave stick? 

(05-31-2016, 11:16 AM)shave/brush Wrote: This is one picture of a SOC broken in. I think I saw one that was more droopy than this one. Will it be good for use with a shave stick? 

I have an SOC that looks the same...I use it on MWF and some of the hardest soaps out there and it has never one time failed to produce....$$ for $$ its one of the best brushes made in my opinion.

(05-31-2016, 11:31 AM)Azpatriot66 Wrote:

(05-31-2016, 11:16 AM)shave/brush Wrote: This is one picture of a SOC broken in. I think I saw one that was more droopy than this one. Will it be good for use with a shave stick? 

I have an SOC that looks the same...I use it on MWF and some of the hardest soaps out there and it has never one time failed to produce....$$ for $$ its one of the best brushes made in my opinion.

How is it for face lathering?

I only face lather with that brush...plenty of backbone and tips as smooth as my badgers; as I said to me at it's price point is probably one of the best brushes made.

(05-31-2016, 01:46 PM)Azpatriot66 Wrote: I only face lather with that brush...plenty of backbone and tips as smooth as my badgers; as I said to me at it's price point is probably one of the best brushes made.

Thanks for the reply.

I face lather with soaps and have used an SOC boar many times without a problem.

Isn't the Plisson considered floppy?

(05-31-2016, 07:20 PM)22bulldog Wrote: Isn't the Plisson considered floppy?

Not like a broken in SOC.

When its drying, I put a piece of paper towel roll on the Semogue 820 I have. I keeps it from splaying too much and IMO it does have a controlling effect when wet, if you "contain" it every time you use it.

It's all about preferences.
I prefer soft tips but backbone. And I only face lather.
But I could face lather with a Kent BK8 just fine. It was just not the best for me. So I sold it.
Some love a soft floppy brush, even for face lathering.

No rules applies.

This is like asking if you like your steak done rare , medium, or well done? Only you know, no? Trial and error is how I learned my preferences.

I only face lather and I use shaving cream 95% of the time.  I have yet to come across a so-called 'floppy' brush that I can't lather with on my face satisfactorily if the knot is well packed; a sparsely or under-packed knot is another matter.  As well, at the other extreme, I find it hard to lather with highly dense and stiff knots, which feel like 'bricks' of hair on my face.

I owned a couple of Kent BK's...they're the ultimate cream puff as brushes go...no issues with lathering, just a different experience. Remember, face lathering is all about the face feel...reasons for having a brush rotations range from handle aesthetics to the knot characteristics during lathering...it's literally all about the personal lathering experience...there is no 'better than' or 'less than' here.

(06-01-2016, 08:45 AM)ssultan Wrote: I owned a couple of Kent BK's...they're the ultimate cream puff as brushes go...no issues with lathering, just a different experience. Remember, face lathering is all about the face feel...reasons for having a brush rotations range from handle aesthetics to the knot characteristics during lathering...it's literally all about the personal lathering experience...there is no 'better than' or 'less than' here.

+1.  My BK4 is one of my top brushes.

I like quasi floppy brushes.  I have a few Brad Sears on the floppy side and they work well for face lathering.  To me, as long as the tips are nice and soft, floppy is good.

I wouldn't consider a brush like the SOC to be really all that floppy.  I started out with a Vulfix 2234 and that was floppy as all get-out.  The true mark of a floppy brush is the combination of high loft with low density and virtually no glue bump or deep setting in the handle.  It was a perfectly fine brush for creams, but hard soaps just took so much time to develop.  

I wouldn't recommend it for face-lathering, especially with soaps.  It was passable as a face-lathering option with creams, but much better at bowl-lathering.  Like others have said, you can make do with just about any brush but certain brushes just don't excel at some methods or products.